Mobile Suit Gundam - The Second Century Vignettes - Side Story at L4
by Buried Alien
Summary: Penelope Spencer experiences her first MS combat sortie and meets Athena Ibaz and Jolie Minh for the first time.


_**A story by Ellis Alpha, JHellscythe, hyosuke, and BuriedAlien**_

 _ **AUTHORS' NOTE: this story is set towards the end of Chapter 4 ("Jolie and Jonah") of MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM: THE SECOND CENTURY Part 1 (Ed. 3)**_

 _Early July, UC 0098, the space between Side 5 and L4…_

The _Albion_ lists adrift, leaking smoke and flame that quickly vaporize in the void of space. The ship's auxiliary engines still function...just barely. Even so, the _Albion_ is gravely wounded and is unlikely to reach its intended destination of Side 7 in its present condition.

Captain Kou Uraki, the ship's master, calls down from the bridge of the ship, "Uraki to Engineering. What's our situation?"

Fritz, presently functioning as the head of an engineering patch crew responds, "Captain, we're down to two auxiliary engines, and the port engine doesn't look like it's going to hold up for long. We're going to need to limp the nearest repair facility."

"Navigator?" Captain Uraki looks up to the bridge officer tasked with that function.

"San Pedro Colony at L4 has a shipyard facility," Tristan, the interim navigator, tells Captain Uraki.

"Set a course for San Pedro Colony, then," Uraki orders.

* * *

Belowdecks, 1Lt. Athena Ibaz and Jolie Minh are assisting other crew members to contain a fierce fire burning on two decks, the result of a recent raid by a squad of Rick Dias mobile suits of faux-Sleeves origin, which Athena and Jolie had helped Col. Jack Spencer to repel.

Athena and Jolie bring their fire extinguishers to bear on a conflagration burning on Deck 5, perilously close to the engineering section.

"'Thena!" Jolie yells over the din, "Hey! We don't get this fire out soon, we're all cooked!"

"Pour on the CO2, and close all working bulkheads," Athena orders.

* * *

 _Side 3; Zum City_

Penny ends the transmission, excitement evident in her face. Her dad is letting her participate! She is finally getting the opportunity to put her hard work to use! "YES! Ahahaha! My big chance to prove what I can do is here!"

She actually manages to startle Violet, who is quietly typing reports. Gale and Cindy peek around the corner as well, Cindy having felt Penny's joy while cooking and Gale working until he breaks something again.

"What are excited about, Ms. Penny?" Violet asks, curiously.

Penny pauses and takes a moment to recompose herself. The smile never leaves her face as she says, with all the authoritative tone that she can muster, "I have to go out to L4 for repairs to the _Albion_. Violet, you'll be in charge. Can you contact a couple of pilots for me while I round up the engineers? We also need to contact Daryl Lorenz and Karla Mitchum for transport."

"Affirmative. I'll focus on the pilots and transport. Are these orders from the Colonel?"

"That's right," she reaches into a drawer and hands Violet a small piece of her honey candy.

"Oh! And three unmarked mobile suits! Those fakers were involved, again!"

Gale's frustration boils over, "They're attacking us directly now!? Shouldn't all of us be out there now?!"

Penny shakes her head, "No, I don't think they even knew the _Albion_ was ours. Dad thinks they were there to make it look like the Sleeves wanted the Gundam."

"Gundam..." Gale exhales.

"Either way, it's mostly a simple repair mission to aid our comrades. Still it never hurts to be on the safe side with additional pilots." Penny reasons, standing up.

Gale smiles and pats the Colonel's daughter, whom he sees as an annoying little sister, on the head. "We're proud of you, Penny!"

"Hey! I'm your manager, damn it!" she whines, but makes no move to swipe him off.

"I'll make a big dinner of your favorites to celebrate when you get back!" Cindy cheers happily as Penny's happiness is her favorite emotion.

"Thanks, guys," Penny smiles, "Now, if you'll excuse me, me and Violet have to make some calls and then pack in under an hour."

Hope, Penny's pink Haro unit, bounces up and down, squealing, "Penny! Penny! Where are you going, Penny?!"

Hope rolls after Penny...

* * *

 _Side 3: Zum City Spaceport, Docking Bay 3_

Within the hour, Penny stands clad in a civilian normal suit in front of the _Dried Fish II_. With her are the four crackerjack mechanics she had summoned: Nina Purpleton, Desmond Chan, Akram Harida, and Ivan Paserov. In addition, two mobile suit pilots were also recruited for this mission: Charlotte Hepner and Nikki Roberto of the Midnight Fenrir Corp. All of whom she had met thanks to her dad and for which she was grateful.

Penny lets out a small sigh before addressing the team, "All right, listen up! As you know, our orders are to rendezvous with the _Albion_ at L4 to carry repairs caused to the ship by an onboard fire. What you don't know is that there is a Federation Forces pilot onboard with a possible recruit in toll!"

Murmuring breaks out among the comrades-at-arms as she continues, "Quiet down now! As I was saying, they're there because the stolen cargo is on board as well. Repairs to this cargo as well as _Albion_ 's engines are expected. Any Sleeves talk is prohibited on board the _Albion_. Furthermore, the fakers who dare to use the Sleeves name to attack the _Albion_ are still lurking. With all of this in mind, any questions?"

There is silence across the board. "Good. Then, all aboard ladies and gents, we leave in 15!"

With that, everyone picks up their bags and board the ship. Penny quickly deposits her bag in her designated room. She wants to check everything before takeoff, leaving nothing to chance. She is so engrossed with her task, she nearly runs into Nina.

"Oh! Sorry, Nina. I wasn't watching." Penny apologized.

"Oh, no! You're fine, Penny! I was actually looking for you." Nina babbles.

"Wanna walk with me, then? I need to make sure everything's good to go before we head out,"

Penny suggests, as she continues striding towards her destination.

"Ah, wait up!" Nina called, trying to keep up the young mechanic. Honestly, Nina finds that the younger Spencer tends to be a stubborn workaholic and wants nothing more than to prove to the Colonel she is capable of handling more. In a way, she is quite talented for her age as both a mechanic and even a pilot. Still, Penny does carry her own problems, one just has to look very closely to see them.

"You don't have to come with us to the _Albion_. I mean the Captain is-"

"I'm aware of who the Captain is, Nina." Penny cuts the older woman off, "No one's forcing me to go. I made this decision on my own accord and I will see it through. Dad's giving me a chance to actually help him, Nina! I've worked too hard to just throw it away now! Even if it means I have to work with... _him_!"

Penny takes a breath as they reach the hangar. "Besides, the rest of the crew has done a lot for me. It's time I return the favor tenfold. So, I'm all right. Okay?"

Nina says nothing for a long moment before sighing, "Sorry. It's just… you work so hard. You barely even sleep! I'm worried you're going to collapse from exhaustion."

Penny answers soberly, "How can I sleep when the only parent I have left can die at any time?"

Nina opens her mouth to say more, but cannot find anything appropriate to say on the matter. The veteran Anaheim Enterprises engineer sighs heavily, "Just… promise me you'll get some rest on the way there, at least? You look exhausted and, we may not show it, but it concerns a lot of us."

"Fine, I try and take a nap after we take off. Now, let me finish my check list," Penny concedes.

"All right, I wake you up before we get there just in case. Take care."

Penny watches her leave before she opens the hangar door, revealing two unmarked Hizacks and a Zaku II high mobility custom belonging to Daryl Lorenz. She sees the fourth, much to her surprise, was an unmarked Hizack Custom with a beam machine gun. Penny inspects it and finds it built for high mobility. Curious, Penny checks the cockpit and finds to her surprise that it is a 360° model. Her sharp grey eyes catch a note on the seat.

It is a card that reads "Good Luck, Penny!" on the front and signatures from virtually everyone in the Sleeves that knew about her dream of becoming a mobile suit pilot. These people are like a secondary family to her and she couldn't be more grateful.

They knew she'd order the extra suit. She doesn't want to take any chances. At the very least, she'll become the last line of defense, if needed. She could care less if she'll get in trouble for this.

"I'll make it count! I won't let anyone down!" she vows, a golden bracelet on her left wrist sparkles under the light.

* * *

"The last of the fires is out, Captain!" Tremmie's voice comes to the bridge of the _Albion_ from below decks "Fire crews have completely knocked down the fires on Decks 4, 5, and 6...but there's heavy damage on those decks."

"Thank you, Tremmie," Captain Uraki replies, nervously stroking his full beard as he switches the channel to Engineering, "Fritz?"

Fritz answers, "Captain, all we have is Auxiliary Engine 1. Nothing else will be online until we do some serious repairs, and we're going to need a shipyard facility for that."

"We're already _en rout_ to the San Pedro shipyard facility at L4," Uraki tells Fritz, "Our ETA is...when, Tristan?"

The navigator answers, "Around two and a half hours at present speed, Captain."

"Two and a half hours," Uraki relays to the engineer, "Just make sure that last engine doesn't die on us too."

"Aye aye," comes the reply.

Uraki hangs up the handset and strokes his beard again, musing aloud, "Two and a half hours. That's plenty of time for an enemy...either the same or another...to come at us again. We managed to fight off that first wave thanks to Col. Spencer's Hizack Custom and those two girls with the Gundam prototype, but if we were to be attacked again…"

"Reinforcements are on the way," Col. Spencer says from the door to the bridge, "Permission to enter the bridge, Captain Uraki?"

"Granted," Uraki answers, shaking Jack Spencer's hand, "We have you to thank for our still being asail, though crippled."

"Just get us to San Pedro Colony Shipyards, Captain," Jack says confidently, "I've got a group of people on the way who will take care of the rest."

* * *

Elsewhere…

Two figures in shadow speak in _sotto voce_ , their conversation clearly not meant for other ears.

"First phase went well," whispers the first figure, a heavy-set, middle-aged man, "those fools are soiling themselves now, thinking they've been attacked by Zeke mobile suits."

The second figure, thinner and gaunter, whispers back, "As fear begins to permeate across the Earth Sphere, our hand will be strengthened."

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend," the burlier man agrees, "thousands of years, and it remains sound doctrine."

* * *

Thirty Rick Dias mobile suits, bearing the emblem SLEEVES on their arms, disgorge themselves from the launching bays of a modified _Columbus_ -class carrier.

Their leader, a Captain Dai Nguyen, opens the comlink to the MS pilots under his command, "This is Anh Cả to all my Em Trai and Em Gái. We lost five brothers in that earlier skirmish. This is where we get payback!"

The Em Trai and Em Gái, "little brothers" and "little sisters" in Captain Nguyen's native language, roar their response in the affirmative.

"We'll find the _Albion_ ," Captain Nguyen tells his charges, to their enthusiastic affirmations, "and when we do, we will grind them into cosmic debris."

* * *

Captain Karla Mitchum, on bridge of the _Dried Fish II_ , receives a disturbing report from her surveillance tech, "Thirty RMS-099 Rick Dias mobile suits headed our way, Captain. They're closing fast and will reach us within eight minutes at present speed."

"Rick Dias?" Captain Mitchum stares over the surveillance tech's shoulder at the data display monitor, "I didn't know that any of those existed anymore after the Gryps Conflict, let alone thirty of them. Who are they registered to?"

"Unknown, ma'am." the surveillance tech pauses.

"Communications," Captain Mitchum orders, "Hail them."

"Yes, ma'am," the communications tech responds.

"Well?!" Captain Mitchum demands a long, agonizing, silent thirty seconds later.

"Negative, ma'am," the comms tech answers, "They're not responding."

Deciding that she cannot afford to take any more chances, Captain Mitchum goes on shipwide PA, "This is Mitchum! All MS pilots...battle stations! Prepare for immediately combat deployment!"

* * *

The alert siren wakes Penny up from her nap. Immediately, she wrestles a combat normal suit onto her petite form as the intercom blares, "Attention all crew members and pilots: we are under attack! All mobile suits must deploy! I repeat: all mobile suits must deploy!"

Penny grins as she snaps her helmet on. "All mobile suits" means her as well! This will be her first sortie; her first real live combat! And no Dad to stop her as she hightails herself to the hangar just behind the others!

"Excited for your first battle, Penny?" Daryl asks, before settling in the cockpit of his Psycho Zaku.

"I'm just glad to finally be able to pull my weight!" Penny all but dives into the cockpit of her Hizack Custom. It wasn't her Gelgoog Marine, but she'll make do with what she's been given. "I just hope I don't disappoint you guys."

"You'll be fine. Just stick with us and don't stray too far. Whatever you do, don't try to bite more than you can chew. Got it?" Daryl advises.

"Roger that, sir," Penny responds, turning the Hizack and marveling the 360° cockpit, "Whoa! I, definitely, want one of these for the Gelgoog!"

Daryl chuckles, "I'll try and save you one when we get out there. Let's go, people!"

The three veterans sortie before Penny. She takes a deep breath and steps onto the launcher.

"Penelope G. Spencer, Hizack Custom. Launch!" Penny announces, before being thrown into space and following the rest of the group into battle.

* * *

 _The Earth Federation Forces sure did a bang-up job copying our Zaku technology_ , Penny reflects, as she regards the combat systems of her Hizack Custom, _they didn't change much in their Hizack series._

"Penny!" Charlotte Hepner's voice comes through Penny's helmet comlink.

"I'm here!" Penelope answers abruptly.

"Snap out of it!" Charlotte demands, "Focus, or you'll be dusted out here!"

"Right," Penny replies sheepishly.

"Sixty seconds to contact," the Hizack Custom's combat computer vocally informs Penny, simultaneously identifying the incoming MS as RMS-099 Rick Diases.

Nikki then pipes up, "Hey, Penny?"

Penny answers tersely, "'Sup?"

"You have a religion?" Nikki asks.

"Um, no. Not specifically," Penny answers.

"Get one," Nikki says, "Contact with enemy in thirty seconds."

Penny crosses herself.

"Captain Nguyen," comes the voice of a special Rick Dias unit outfitted with surveillance equipment, "We have mobile suits incoming: three Hizacks, one of them a Custom, and a 06R-1 type High Mobility Zaku. Looks like they have a _Papua_ -class supply ship too."

"Hizacks?" Nguyen responds quizzically, "not Earth Federation Forces, judging from the Zaku and the _Papua_ -class."

"Don't know, sir" the pilot of the EWAC Rick Dias replies, "probably just privateers, I'd say."

"No matter," Nguyen says, "We don't want to be seen out here. For all we know, this group is aligned with the _Albion,_ so eliminating them is in our interest. Take them out: no prisoners."

"Ten seconds to contact!" Daryl Lorenz calls out.

 _Ohmigodohmigodohmigod!_ is all that runs through Penelope's mind as her hands tense on the control joysticks.

Daryl fires a burst from the Psycho Zaku's 120mm machine gun and a shot from the 360mm giant bazooka.

A Rick Dias goes down in flames, and the remainder scatter from their original battle formation.

Penny lines up the EWAC Rick Dias in the sights of her Hizack Custom's beam machine gun.

Before she can open fire, she gets a warning from Charlotte Hepner, "Penny! Heads up!"

Penelope's Hizack Custom breaks its targeting of the EWAC unit to barely dodge an incoming beam from Rick Dias 302.

"AHHHHHHHH!" Penny screams as she peppers Rick Dias 302 with beam machine gun shots, finally doing enough damage to cause it to balloon into flame.

"Penny! Calm down!" Charlotte admonishes.

 _Easy for you to say!_ Penny has just a moment to think before Rick Dias 118 is on her.

The enemy mobile suit approaches too close to for Penny to bring her ranged weapon to bear on it, so she lashes out with the Hizack Custom's armored fist, taking a powerful swing at Rick Dias 118, hard enough to bore a hole through its armor.

Penny tries to pull the Hizack Custom's fist free, but it is firmly embedded in Rick Dias 118's armor.

"A little help here, guys…" Penny pleads as another Rick Dias, 271, bears down on her.

Nikki blasts Rick Dias 271 as Charlotte gets Penny's Hizack Custom into a half nelson and, combining their two mobile suits' retro rocket thrust, blast away from 118. When they have put enough distance between themselves and 118, Penny finishes it with the beam machine gun.

Elsewhere, Daryl Lorenz's Psycho Zaku puts on a clinic as it skeets three Rick Dias units out of the endless night of space with carefully placed shots from its 120mm machine gun.

"Charlotte! Nikki! Penny!" Daryl calls out, "Try to maneuver as many of the Rick Dias units as you can into a tight cluster! I'm going to take a full power shot at them with the beam bazooka!"

Responding to Daryl's orders, Charlotte, Nikki, and Penny begin to pursue several of the remaining Rick Dias, corralling them within proximity to each other, where they hover back-to-back in a defensive maneuver.

Seeing the targets clustered sufficiently close to each other, Daryl open fires with the beam bazooka...a full power shot! Daryl's blast impacts with Rick Dias 701 like a Jovian thunderbolt, and 701's exploding wreck careens into Rick Dias 868 and Rick Dias 410.

"Yeah! YEAH!" Penny exults, before to her horror, she sees a Rick Dias, 011, bearing down behind Daryl's Psycho Zaku with its beam saber drawn for a murderous cleave.

"Captain! Watch out!" Penny screams, her right forefinger squeezing the trigger that sends a torrent of beam fire at Rick Dias 011, covering it with beam fire.

The Psycho Zaku kicks away the heavily damaged Rick Dias before it explodes into a superheated ball of shrapnel.

Nikki and Charlotte pick away a few more Rick Dias until only two remain to flee...the command unit piloted by Captain Nguyen and the accompanying EWAC unit.

Nikki, Charlotte, and Penny are about to pursue when they are ordered back by Daryl, "Don't pursue! Do you copy? Let them go!"

Nikki carefully examines one heavily damaged Rick Dias unit that he and Penny had disabled in tandem, "We've got one here almost intact, Daryl. Salvage?"

Daryl orders, "Check it for boobytraps, and if it's clear, tow it back to the _Dried Fish II_. I don't want to waste much more time here."

"You OK, Penny?" Charlotte asks.

"Y-yeah. I'm fine," Penny answers, unable to stop shaking.

As Charlotte comforts Penny, Nikki and Daryl inspect the captured Rick Dias. Opening the mobile suit's cockpit, they find its pilot dead...from the expression on his face, evidently from the effects of an ingested cyanide capsule.

"Leave him in there," Daryl orders, "Captain Mitchum will want to perform an autopsy."

After having satisfied themselves that the Rick Dias is not rigged with boobytraps, Daryl and Nikki use cable mechanisms to tow the wreck at a safe distance.

"This is Lorenz to _Dried Fish II_ ," Daryl contacts the bridge of their mothership, "Enemy raiding party repulsed. Returning to ship. We're bringing aboard a captured enemy unit...we've already inspected it for boobytraps. Result: negative."

"Roger," comes the reply from the _Dried Fish II_ , "Captain Mitchum grants permission to return to ship."

* * *

Penny sighs as she heads to the locker room. Her whole body aches from the crash that follows an adrenaline rush.

"You still doing all right, Penny?" Charlotte asks, concerned.

"Yeah, I just feel really tired now." Penny assures Charlotte.

"It happens, but it takes time getting used to it. By the way, how many did you take down?"

"Uh, five if I included that last one," Penny frowns, "It really wasn't that much."

Everyone freezes and stares at her dumbfounded, freaking Penny out.

"Uh, is that bad?" Penny asks tentatively, wonder if she's screwed up royally.

The looks on their faces get worse.

 _I absolutely, positively,_ MUST _have screwed up royally!_ Penny thinks.

Finally, Daryl speaks up. "Do you know the exact number of confirmed kills needed to become an ace pilot?"

Penny gets nervous, "Uh, not really. Maybe, twenty?"

"Five," Daryl corrects, "Five confirm kills."

Penny's face lights up like a star as Daryl smiles, "Congratulations, Penelope G. Spencer. You're an ace pilot!"

Penny blushes and grins as Nikki and Charlotte hug and congratulate her. The two start talking rapidly.

"We have to tell the others!" Nikki cheers

"Except the Colonel! He'll kick our ass if he finds out!" Charlotte cautions.

"We need to celebrate!" Nikki continues.

"We can't," Charlotte groans, "If we do, Jack will find out!"

"Penny," Nikki says, putting his hands on her shoulders, "we're getting you drunk when officially become a pilot."

Penny's eyes widen as Charlotte smacks Nikki upside the head, but smiles and enjoys the moment.

She has made them all proud.

* * *

The _Dried Fish II_ enters the L4 colony San Pedro, making its way to the spaceport.

On the bridge, Captain Mitchum gazes out from the forward viewport and spots the _Albion_ , already docked. She notes significant burn damage to several of the _Albion_ 's aft decks, the result of pummeling by mobile suit beam and incendiary weaponry.

"Yeah, looks pretty bad from here," Captain Mitchum observes, "Our crew has their work cut out for them, but I'm sure they'll get the _Albion_ back on its feet in a few days."

Captain Kou Uraki's image appears on the primary comms monitor of the _Dried Fish II_ 's bridge, "Captain Mitchum, thanks for coming to our rescue."

Mitchum answers, "Our professional pleasure, Captain Uraki. We did have some difficulty getting here, however."

"Yes," Uraki becomes grim, "So I heard. I think you came under assault by the same group that attacked the _Albion_ : Rick Dias units using a kind of Sleeves logo that isn't part of our official livery."

Mitchum nods, "The same. Who do you think they are, Kou?"

Uraki covers his mouth with his hand thoughtfully, before answering, "Somebody who has it in for Sleeves, undoubtedly."

* * *

Elsewhere aboard the _Dried Fish II_ , Nina Purpleton takes a moment alone to gather herself.

After all these years, she will be seeing _him_ again.

So much unfinished business…

 _Kou…_

* * *

As Penny carries her bag, she fails to notice a pink orb following behind her. It bounces past her, chanting in its electronic voice, "To _Albion_! To _Albion_!"

"What the-!? Hope, get back here! You were supposed to stay at home!" Penny yells chasing after the pink Haro.

"Penelope to _Albion_! Penelope to _Albion_!" the pink Haro announces, hopping into the _Albion_ 's hangar without delay.

"Hope!" Penny yells, hot on the Haro's tail, "Somebody stop that Haro!"

In the hangar, two young women scarcely older than Penny herself look up before Hope bounces off the top of the head of the smaller of the two. Hope rebounds and Penny catches her Haro in midair.

"Nice catch, Penelope! Nice catch, Penelope!" Hope comments.

"You need to quit rolling off Hope!" Penny grumbles, before turning to the young women,

"Sorry, about that. Hope is…enthusiastic for a Haro."

Penny sees that the girl whom Hope bopped in the head is around her own age, of Asian descent, and very, very pretty with long, black hair, wide, expressive eyes...and long, attractive legs fully exposed by a pair of very short shorts that are barely more than a thong bikini.

However sweet the girl looks, however, Penelope soon discovers that she is an utter potty mouth, as she seethes, rubbing the top of her head, "Shit...motherfucker...ow…"

"Jolie, calm down," says her companion, a taller, elegant strawberry blonde young woman in her late teens or early twenties, whom Penny finds oddly familiar, but cannot place.

"Calm down?!" the one named Jolie snarls, "CALM DOWN?! YOU fucking calm down! HARO!"

Another Haro, this one green, rolls into view, squealing, "JOLIE! JOLIE! JOLIE!"

"Sic 'em, Haro!" Jolie orders.

The green Haro extends its mechanical arms and legs and reaches out for Hope. Hope sees it coming and extends its own matching set of arms and legs. Within seconds, the two ball-shaped robots are wrestling and rolling across the deck, neither giving a centimeter.

Penny tries desperately to pull Hope away, to no avail. Jolie smirks as she watches the action, clearly enjoying it. The strawberry blonde covers her eyes and shakes her head.

"Jolie," the attractive strawberry blonde says sternly, "call Haro off, NOW!"

Jolie takes Penny by the arm and pulls her aside, "'Scuse me….HARO!"

Haro pauses and looks at Jolie.

"That's enough, Haro," Jolie tells the spherical green robot.

Hope, under no such orders, gives Haro a final KICK that sends the other robot rolling across the deck.

"Sorry about that, lost my head," Jolie apologizes, extending a hand to Penny, "Jolie Minh."

Penny, taking Hope back into her arms as the pink sphere reaches out to her as if it were a small child, replies, "Penelope Spencer."

"Spencer?" Jolie says, looking at the strawberry blonde for a moment, "You know Jack Spencer?"

"That's my dad," Penny smiles.

"No fucking way!" Jolie gapes, "Jack Spencer's your dad? I _am_ sorry! Your dad pulled our asses out of a couple of fires at Industria Colony!"

"We're grateful for your father's assistance, Penelope," the oddly familiar strawberry blonde says, extending her hand to Penny, "1Lt. Athena Ibaz, Earth Federation Forces."

"Oh, you're with the Federation Forces?" Penelope's eyes go wide in surprise, "That...um, I mean...that's cool."

 _That's weird_ , Penelope thinks privately, but does not verbalize, _but why?_

Penny studies the young woman, beautiful as a fairy tale princess with her feathery strawberry blonde hair and green eyes, closely. She's definitely from Side 3 and yet, an officer with the Federation Forces. Multitudes have left Side 3 since the One Year War, so that does not surprise Penny. Still, something disturbs Penny deeply about the strawberry blonde young woman and she just can't figure it out!

 _Later_ , she thought, _the_ Albion _comes first_.

"You came to see your dad?" Jolie asks.

"I came to help repair the _Albion_ ," Penny says proudly, "I'm an engineer and mechanic."

"No kidding?" Jolie says, somewhat skeptical, noting that Penny is around her own age, "all right, let me show you where the damage is."

* * *

As Jolie guides her on an inspection tour of the damage, Penny begins to realize just how much work needs to be done. A couple of days' worth, at the very least. Luckily, the Gundam is going to be the easiest to fix once she gets Tremmie a list to go parts-hunting for her.

Penny decides to focus on prepping the arm for repair for today and help out with repairing the main hull with the Hizack Custom since she's the only mechanic who can pilot it.

 _What the hell did they do to the Gundam's arm?_ Penny cannot help wondering, _Even though it's made of Gundarium, they bashed the hell out of it!_

They make their way back to the hangar where the rest of the engineers are staring at the new Gundam. Penny must admit that for all the legendary incompetence and inefficiency of the Earth Federation, it shined when it came to producing Gundam-class mobile suits. A gearhead by both nature and upbringing, Penny cannot help but admire the Gundam-100's sleek design.

Penny smirks and shakes her head. _Time to get to work_. "All right, guys, enough gawking at the nice Federation machinery! We got work to do!"

The engineers turn their attention to her as she continues, "I already went ahead and inspect the damage. I estimate three days of work if we pull our weight! Today is divide and conquer, so here's your assignments: Desmond and Ivan, tackle the engine! Akram, you're in the hull. I'll join you later in the suit! Nina, you and I are checking out the Gundam and prepping it for repair later! I want a status report by dinnertime! Any objections, speak now or forever hold your peace! Otherwise, get settled and get to work on the double!"

"Yes, ma'am!" The engineers reply, splitting off to cover their orders.

Jolie gapes at her, "You're in charge, too?!"

"I know how to do my job and get it done right. Besides, I'm the one that pitched the idea to come over here and help out." Penny tells her, grabbing her tool box.

"Is that even heavy?" she asks Penny, indicating the toolbox.

Penny gives her an odd look before holding it out to her, "See for yourself."

Jolie takes the toolbox and Penny makes sure Jolie has a firm grip on it before letting go. Jolie curses as she nearly drops it. Jolie struggles to hold it up decently, but Penny is impressed nonetheless. She knows full well what she packed in that box.

"Just how fucking often do you carry this heavy bitch?" Jolie grits through her teeth.

"Every day since I moved to Side 3," Penny replies, taking back her tool box.

"Holy fuck, are you strong!" Jolie pants, heavily, "Wait - moved? You weren't born there?"

Penny shakes her head, "I was born on Side 6's Libot Colony. My parents were from Side 3, though."

"Oh…" Jolie manages, wondering if there is even a difference between Penelope and the rest of the Zekes.

Penny pats a hand on her shoulder, "Don't worry about it. We're all human either way."

She leaves Jolie to think and joined Nina on the lift up to the missing arm.

Penny joins Nina on the lift up to the missing arm with her toolbox in hand. Nina checks the system out, having worked with Gundams before. Penny focuses on sorting the good parts from the bad. When she is done and has a list of parts ready for Tremmie, Nina calls her over.

"What's up, Nina?" Penny asks, hopping into the cockpit.

"Here's the diagnostic data I have for the Gundam."

"Thanks, I'll look over it later," Penelope pockets the disc, "Finish up and go see the captain."

"Pardon?"

"I may not like the guy for personal reasons, but I'm not cruel enough to keep you from him," Penny explains, "Come find me in the hull when you're ready for more work."

The young mechanic takes off to find her father before she begins her next job. She hasn't seen him aboard the ship, yet. Just as Penny enters the hallway, she spots him talking to Jolie and Athena.

 _Perfect moment for a sneak attack!_

Making herself as dead as humanly possible in a Newtype sense, she creeps up behind his back. Just as she is about to reach him, she grins and then realizes her mistake.

"Nice try, kiddo, but you blew it at the last minute," Jack comments with a grin of his own.

Penny frowns, then shrugs as she goes in for the hug anyway. "Eh, I don't care."

Jack hugs her back, "Glad you're here, honey. Any problems?"

"One. We got attacked on our way here. Possibly by the same guys who went after the _Albion_. Daryl should be able to fill you in." Penny reports.

"And what did you do?"

"Stayed in the ship like a good little mechanic," Penny lies.

Jack looks skeptical because he knows his daughter. She'd jumped at the opportunity if given. Either way, he'd talk to Daryl later.

"Well, I'm glad you're safe." Jack smiles.

Penny grins, "Yeah, yeah. You need me and you know it!"

"Don't get full of yourself, Penny," Jack smirks as he ruffles her pink hair.

"Just what kind of daughter do you take me for?"

"The kind that will jump into mayhem the first chance she gets."

Penny merely frowns, "Hilarious."

"I'll see you in the dining hall later, okay. I heard we're having katsu curry tonight." Jack states, watching both his daughter and Jolie perk up at the evening's menu. He leaves the girls to themselves and goes to find Daryl.

"Definitely, not missing dinner tonight!" Penny resolves.

"Same here. That sounds good and I don't even know what it is!" Jolie admits.

"What?! Ok, seriously, you've never had curry? That's like the staple food of the Space Navy forces in both the Federation and Zeon alike!" Penny argues, incredulously.

"Chill! I just never had it!"

"Good thing we're having it tonight then!" Penny grins, "Now, if you excuse me, I have to grab a normal suit. The hull isn't going to fix itself!"

Jolie furrows her light, thin brows and follows Penny, "Why not let me help? I can use the Gundam for heavy lifting!"

"The Gundam is under repair status. I'm not greenlighting it after I just gutted most of the damaged parts," Penny explains, "Besides, I have my own means of heavy lifting."

"And what's that?" Athena who has been listening attentively while examining some MS parts dismantled by Penny, asks curiously.

Penny smiles, "A Hizack Custom, of course."

Athena and Jolie betray looks of surprise. Jolie looks at Penny, dumbfounded, "You can pilot a mobile suit?!"

"Most parents give their kids a car on their birthdays, my dad gave me a mobile suit when I was fourteen," Penny shrugs, "Besides, both of my parents were ace pilots during the One Year War. I want to carry on that torch, but Dad won't let me pilot outside recreational and business purposes. So, I became a mechanic and an engineer... for now anyway…"

Jolie and Athena glance at each other before turning back to Penny, who obviously, is hiding something. But, what? Either way, the pair decided to drop it for now.

"Would you be willing to demonstrate your piloting skill?" Athena asked.

Penny perks up at this request. She never lets anyone see her practice, but it would be nice to get some advice from a professional pilot. After all, it's not every day you get pointers from a legitimate Earth Federation Forces MS pilot. "Sure, but after dinner, okay? I can't be goofing off on the job any more than I have to."

"Fair enough." Athena agrees.

"Oh, and call me Penny. Only friends of mine get that privilege," Penny suggests, heading out to get work done. After all, her dad isn't the only one who needs connections, personal or otherwise.

* * *

The crew members of the _Albion_ congregate at the mess hall at 18:00 (ship's time) for dinner. They have one hour's time to eat and briefly rest before work resumes at 19:00.

Penny makes several conclusions about her two new friends, 1Lt. Athena Ibaz and Jolie Minh, by observing them during dinner. First, both girls can handle their spice, as the katsu curry does not even faze them. Second, though both Athena and Jolie are blessed with good looks that would be the envy of movie stars and fashion models, drawing eyefuls of long, dreamy gazes from the male (and a few female) crew members, the two are a study in contrasts.

 _Athena clearly comes from a posh background_ , Penny surmises from the way she dresses and the dignified, polite manner in which she eats. Jolie, in contrast, gobbles her meal as if fearful that it will run away from her, clearly a byproduct of her years surviving on the streets of Industria Colony. Penny cannot help but notice the occasional disapproving glare that Athena, seated primly and properly in her chair, throws at Jolie, crouched on her seat as if she were a feral jungle cat.

Finally, Penny cannot hold it in any longer and bursts out giggling.

"What?" Jolie asks, rice falling out of her mouth.

"You two," Penny says through her laughter, "you two are so different from each other. I guess it's true that opposites attract! It's hard to believe you guys are best friends!"

Athena smiles, putting down her spoon and wiping her lips with the corner of her napkin before answering, "We've been acquainted about a week...through rather dire circumstances."

"Yeah," Jolie affirms through a full mouth, still chewing, waving her spoon animatedly as she speaks, "You don't know the half of it, Penny! There we were: 'Thena in this old Zaku, your dad in his Hizack Custom, and me in the Muttmech…"

"Muttmech?" Penny asks, intrigued.

"Yeah," Jolie answers, swallowing, "this mobile suit I built myself out of old Zaku, Dom, and Gelgoog parts I found at the junkyard I owned. Anyway, the three of us triple-teamed the Gundam-100 prototype, which was stolen from the base at Side 7 by some traitor named...what was his name again, 'Thena?"

"Kissingham," Athena amends, "Captain Charles Kissingham."

"Yeah, that guy," Jolie affirms, "He came pretty close to killing me and 'Thena, but your dad saved our asses."

"My dad killed him?" Penny asks.

"No," Athena answers, "Kissingham was murdered by an unknown assassin. We failed to apprehend or identify that individual."

"Hmm…" Penny muses, "I wonder why…"

She does not get to finish her thought, as the robot balls Haro and Hope bounce into the mess hall and into Jolie's and Penny's laps.

Hope squeaks electronically, "Pancakes are bad! Pancakes are bad!"

Haro answers with the equally _non-sequitur_ , "No go, Stardust! No go, Stardust!"

Jolie looks questioningly at Penny and Athena, "What th'...? What are those two going on about?!"

Penny turns the pink Haro over in her hands, saying soothingly, "Hope, calm down. Dad's not cooking anymore!"

Jolie's eyes widen, "Pancakes?"

Penny says sheepishly, with a hint of embarrassment, "Dad used to make pancakes. A LOT."

Not knowing what to say, Jolie responds lamely, "Oh. Were they good?"

Penny looks slightly nauseous as she recalls, "Terrible, actually. But, it was the only thing he knew how to cook, so I can't complain."

Athena asks, "What about your mother?"

Penny pauses, and then whispers, "She died when I was two…"

"Forgive me," Athena says earnestly, blushing slightly, "that was a tactless question."

"Don't worry about it," Penny whispers, taking another bite of the katsu curry.

An awkward silence descends upon the three young women as all three realize than none of them has had a living mother for years.

Jolie, in a valiant effort to break the awkward silence and get the discussion back on track, offers, "So…you cook?"

Penny bursts out laughing her ass off, "I can only make breakfast and M.R.E.s! Cindy does the rest of the cooking. Oh, geez, that's hurts!"

"I bet you're better than me," Jolie says, "I basically burn stuff over an open flame. Just ask 'Thena."

"It's true," Athena says with a smile, "I'm still struggling with indigestion after eating Jolie's so-called 'cooking' for three days."

The three laugh the laughter of budding friendship.

* * *

Two days later…

Nina Purpleton steels herself, exhaling as she rounds the corner of the corridor into the personal office of the _Albion_ 's captain, Kou Uraki.

 _So many memories...so much that can never be forgotten._

She sees him standing near his desk, as nervous, undoubtedly, as she is. It has been two years since they last met, and…

Nina rubs her jawline with both hands by way of demonstration, "I like the new facial hair. It suits you."

Kou strokes his beard and smiles before answering, "I figured that since I'm the captain of a space vessel these days, it'd be good for me to look the part."

Nina giggles, beginning to relax as she puts her hands around his neck, "You look like Ahab."

"Eh," Kou says, "My whale-hunting days are behind me...or I hope, anyway. Somehow, in spite of my best efforts, I've somehow gotten involved with a Gundam again."

Nina nods, as her smile turns into a bitter grimace and tears well in her eyes, "Kou...I...I miss him. Cowan…"

"Shhh," Kou says, "We promised each other that we wouldn't talk about it."

"But…" Nina continues.

Kou shakes his head.

"All right, all right," Nina says, wiping away her tears, "but there's something else that you and I need to talk about."

"What is it?" Kou asks, concerned.

Nina exhales and says, "I've been working with a bright young engineer and mechanic named Penelope Spencer, whom I met at Side 3, and…"

"...and what?" Kou pursues.

Nina swallows before she finishes, "Penelope….her mother was Cima Garahau."

Kou says nothing, and stares at Nina for a long, long time.

* * *

 _Three days_ , Penny reflects, _no incidents, work completed, and no Captain in sight. Perf-_

"Penny?" Nina calls to her, "The captain wants to thank you for your hard work!"

 _Fuck. Spoke too soon._ Penny lets out a sigh and makes her way to the Captain's office. _Breathe, Penelope. He's just thanking you. He doesn't even know who you are! Just be civil and professional!_

 _Unless Nina clued him in._

Now, Penny wishes she hadn't let her see him or at least told her to keep her mouth shut. But, she isn't like her mother. She isn't a bad person.

 _Whatever_ , she thought, _I'll deal with it._

Hope's and Haro's optic sensors watch Penny go; the two ball-shaped robots roll behind her.

* * *

She knocks on the door and announces, "Captain Uraki? I'm Penelope Spencer from Spencer's Auto."

"The door's open, Ms. Spencer," she hears him say.

"Pardon me, then" Penny replies, walking in and closing the door behind her.

Penny isn't sure what to expect; she's seen photographs of Kou Uraki before, but the few photos she's seen of him date back to the early UC 0080s, when Uraki was scarcely older than Penny is now. He was boyishly handsome in those older photos, though slightly dorky-looking with that antiquated Beatles hairstyle of his. With his current beard and longer hair, though, it's difficult to recognize Uraki as the young Earth Federation Forces MS pilot from those old photos; he bears a closer resemblance to the central figure of those old stories of the Ancient Mariner...or at least a middle-aged one.

"You wanted to speak to me, Captain?" Penny begins.

"That's right," Captain Uraki confirms, "Thank you for your hard work in repairing our ship. We would have been a sitting duck without your help. You're quite talented for your age."

Penny gives him a plain smile, "Anything to help my dad and the rest of the group."

"I'd offer you a drink," Uraki tells her, "but you're a few years too young for that."

"It's all right, Captain," Penny says plainly, "I didn't come here for a drink."

Uraki turns to Penny, "You came because you wanted to see the man who killed your mother."

Penny freezes with her hand holding the clipboard. The golden bracelet on her left wrist gleams in the light, reminding her.

 _So, we're having this talk after all? Damn, I had hoped to avoid this_.

Her eyes close, hands balling into fists. She stares at Uraki now, containing her rage only with great effort.

Uraki studies the girl in front of him. He can see the resemblance even with the pink hair. He can only imagine what lengths she has to go through to hide her connection to Garahau.

"Cima Garahau was the most formidable opponent I faced as a combat MS pilot," Kou reflects, "Truth to tell, Cima was a better pilot than I was. She only lost to me because I had the more powerful mobile suit at the time of our final battle."

Penny remains silent, certain that if she tries to speak, she would explode in a torrent of hate.

"Some would say your mother was some terrible evil," Uraki continues, "but she wasn't. Others would have celebrated her as a great hero. She wasn't."

"Then...what was she?" Penny says, choking back tears.

Uraki looks Penny in the eye, "Your mother was a victim, Penelope. All of us are."

"Is that all we are?" she counters, as a single tear falls from her face, "because we're all contributors to that fate, Captain! If not to us, then to others we affect! You think I don't know this?!"

Uraki watches as her expression became one of despair.

More tears join the first as she speaks in a trembling voice, "I only got to meet her once. Before Stardust. She was the nicest person I ever met and, though I didn't know it at the time, I wanted her to be my mom! I tried to stop her from going, from leaving us again! She knew…she knew she was going to die. And made me a promise she couldn't keep anyway…," Penny puts a hand over her mouth to prevent herself from sobbing further. She steadies herself for a more controlled voice. "I don't blame you, but I don't completely forgive you either. One day, I might see otherwise, but until then, you're a contributor to her death."

Both of them say nothing as Penny gains more time to stabilize herself. She has to end this, if only for her own sake. Uraki, however, finishes the awkward conference for her.

"I'm not going to ask you for forgiveness…not today. Maybe if I ever get to a point when I no longer regret what I've done." Uraki says quietly.

Penny bows her head, though out of minor respect. She hasn't truly forgive him, nor does she want his apology. Penny remains calm, however, and made a move to leave. "As soon as we finalize the engine check, you'll have the green light to continue to Side 7 as planned. If there's nothing else, Captain, I'll be taking my leave now."

Uraki dismisses Penny gratefully, leans back in his chair, and closes his eyes.

As Penny heads down the corridor to the lift, she is unaware of Hope and Haro rolling behind her.

"So sad! So sad! So sad!" Hope chirps.

"Sad! Sad! Sad!" Haro echoes.

* * *

Penny returns to the hangar bay of the _Albion_ , where repairs are progressing well and applause breaks out as the main engine comes to life, generating and sustaining a steady thrust.

Jolie cannot help but notice the ashen expression on Penny's face, "Hey...what's up?"

"Nothing," Penny says, "nothing. Looks like the main engine is up and running."

"Thanks to you and your grease monkeys, yah," Jolie answers, "now we can finally get to Side 7!"

"I forgot to ask," Penny says, "if you don't mind telling, how did you get involved with all this anyway, and why are you going to Side 7?"

"I'm a war orphan," Jolie replies, "I'd lived at Industria Colony since I was ten years old. Then, about a week ago, I met Athena when she was chasing the traitor who stole the Gundam-100. We recovered the Gundam together with a lot of help from your dad. Afterward, 'Thena invited me to go join the Earth Federation Londo Bell Special Forces."

Penny remarks, "So joining the Earth Federation Forces is your ticket out of Industria Colony."

"That," Jolie says, her expression becoming serious, "and it's my chance at payback."

"Payback?" Penny inquires.

Jolie nods, "I became a war orphan when Zekes led by Alexander Miguel tore a hole through my home colony at Quebec, Side 5. Ever since, all I ever wanted is to slice his head off with the sword that's been passed down in my family since ancient times. Joining the Federation Forces is gonna give me that chance."

Penny sighs, "And this hate for the Zeons, and especially Alexander Miguel...that's what drives you?"

Jolie answers hotly, her eyes aflame, "Yeah! And why not?! The Zekes are dirty murdering scum, and Miguel is the worst of them!"

Penny opens her mouth to say something more, but is given pause by the powerful Newtype aura surrounding Jolie... _incredible...so much raw power...like a huge tsunami of energy._

Penny settles for, "Don't let your world be ruled by hate...it will eat you alive. I wish I could take my own advice."

"What do you mean?" Jolie asks.

"Nothing," Penny says, quickly resuming a smile, "Hey...I have to leave to go home to Side 3 pretty soon. I've come to really like talking with you, though. We should keep in touch."

"I'm going to be enlisting in the Earth Federation Forces as soon as we arrive at Side 7," Jolie answers, "but we can keep in touch through Haro and Hope!"

"Good idea," Penny says, "Hope!"

"Haro!" Jolie calls.

The two spherical robots, green and pink, roll to their respective masters.

"Hope," Penny instructs, "Transmit my personal contact info to Haro."

"Transmit! Transmit! Transmit!" Hope squeals, bouncing up and down, "Haro receives! Receives! Receives!"

"Got it! Got it! Got it!" Haro replies. Jolie checks and finds Penny's contact info.

"Hey," Penny grins, "Have one of these."

Penny whips a soft red baseball cap out of her toolbox with the logo of SPENCER'S AUTO on the front, slipping it onto Jolie's head.

"You look cute in it," Penny can't help giggling.

"Yeah," Jolie enthuses, "Cool hat...but a Zeke mobile suit logo?"

"That Muttmech you told me about was made of spare Zeon mobile suit parts," Penny points out.

"Yeah, but…" Jolie protests.

"But nothing," Penny cuts her off, "that's my gift to you."

"Thanks," Jolie answers as the two exchange a sisterly fist bump.

Unseen by the girls, Haro and Hope do the same.

* * *

As the _Albion_ approaches Side 7 Space, the _Dried Fish II_ prepares to begin its return journey to Side 3.

Penny and Jolie are on the _Albion_ 's MS deck, watching the RX-780 Gundam-100 being readied for unloading when Athena appears, resplendent in her immaculate Earth Federation Forces officers' uniform - an ensemble of boots, skirt, jacket, and junior officer's beret.

 _Wow_ , Penny thinks to herself, _Athena looks really sharp in that Earth Federation Forces uniform!_

Athena offers her hand to Penny, "Thanks again to you and your father for everything."

"Pleasure," Penny says, "Business calls back at Spencer Auto. You guys come look me up if you're ever in Zum City."

"You bet!" Jolie enthuses, wrapping Penny in an overly enthusiastic embrace.

At their feet, Hope and Haro do the same.

The _Dried Fish II_ and _Albion_ part ways, their crews on separate paths of destiny...for now.


End file.
